Klarinet Archive - Posting 000639.txt from 1996/08

From: Bruce Currie <BCurrie101@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: community bands
Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 08:26:40 -0400

I would suggest working on some good PR for the local newspaper(s).
If you can contact someone there who has a definite interest in
your organization, give some information emphasizing the experience
and high-level training some of the members have. Sometimes when
these reporters realize that these players were very highly
regarded when they were in high school or college, then it becomes
a continuing-success story. Try to have photos taken. Definitely do
more than merely turning in a concert press release and hoping
people will know much about you. Emphasize the quality/experience
of the conductor.

Also, since it sounds like your main exposure is playing in parades
on a fire truck for "dancing floozies," you need more serious music
performance exposure. Be sure you have independent concert
performances scheduled, from at the high school or junior college
to retirement homes. People have to see and hear you in a more
serious setting, probably, to give you more serious thought.

Hope these thoughts might help.

>Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 00:53:10 +0100
>From: Richard Parmer <rparmer@-----.COM>
>Sender: "Klarinet - Clarinettist's Network"
<KLARINET@-----.BITNET>
>To: Multiple recipients of list KLARINET
<KLARINET@-----.BITNET>
>Subject: community bands
>
>>A community band is definitely community service. Many people
who have
>>played in high school and college are now in the work force and
don't
>>have time to practice as much as they used to. We have doctors
and
>>lawyers in our band who just play to have a good time. Such a
band is a
>>service to the players, as well as the audience.
>
>I play in a small community band in the summer. Our main purpose
is to
>supply background music for our dancing floozies (actually, they
are nice
>women, but their outfits suggest otherwise). We play in on our
"float"-it's
>an OLD fire truck, in the parades in our town and the surrounding
>communities. I find that being in this band is frustrating, people
don't
>give us recognition for what we do (this includes the dancers,
I've never
>heard them say much of anything to us). From talking to some of my
friends
>I know that they feel this way also.
>Does anyone out there have any suggestions on how to get the
recognition we
>deserve or is it hopeless? The director is open to suggestions.
Thank you
>for reading my rambling.
>
>Carrie Parmer
************************************
Bruce Currie
General Manager
Wheaton Municipal Band
Wheaton, Illinois
BCurrie101@-----.com
************************************